Iran was behind a bombing outside a synagogue in Liège and an arson attack in Antwerp’s Jewish quarter in March, the head of Belgium’s Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (CUTA) said over the weekend.
Gert Vercauteren told French-language public broadcaster RTBF on Thursday that the perpetrators “certainly” acted on Tehran’s orders. He said the attacks on Jewish site were part of a coordinated campaign, rather than isolated incidents.
An explosive device was set off outside the Synagogue de Liège on the city’s Rue Léon Frédéricq shortly before 4 a.m. on March 9. That same week, a car was torched in Antwerp‘s Jewish quarter. No one was hurt in either attack.
According to the report, the Belgian attacks coincided with a string of plots in the Netherlands, including a foiled bombing of a synagogue in Heemstede, a small town roughly 12 miles west of Amsterdam.
A main suspect in the network was recently arrested in Turkey. Belgian security services have recorded no attacks since, the report noted.
In a response to the report, Israeli Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg David Saranga called on European nations to change their policies toward Iran “to reflect the threat Tehran poses on Europe’s own streets.
“I’m surprised. Iran directing terror attacks against Jewish sites in Belgium? Who could have imagined,” he tweeted sarcastically.
I’m surprised.
Iran directing terror attacks against Jewish sites in Belgium?
Who could have imagined.
Perhaps it’s time for Europe’s policy towards Iran to reflect the threat Tehran poses on Europe’s own streets. https://t.co/qBl7pDz5kY
Last year, the United States and 13 European nations condemned attempts by the Iranian regime’s intelligence services to kill, kidnap and harass people, including Jewish citizens, in their respective territories.
“We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America in clear violation of our sovereignty,” according to the joint statement published by the United States, the United Kingdom, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
The Tehran regime is “increasingly collaborating with international criminal organizations to target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens and current and former officials,” read the statement shared by the U.S. Department of State. “This is unacceptable.”
In 2024, Swedish intelligence agency SÄPO said Iran may have orchestrated terrorist attacks on Israeli targets in Scandinavia.
The statement came shortly after two blasts, likely caused by hand grenades, occurred close to Israel’s diplomatic mission in Denmark, days after gunfire was heard in the vicinity of the embassy in Sweden.
Fredrik Hallstrom, head of operations at SÄPO, noted that “there are some things that could point in that direction,” namely, Tehran’s involvement in the two assaults.
Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency has also said that the Islamic Republic is behind a series of terrorist attacks carried out by criminal gangs targeting Israeli embassies across Europe, including Sweden
Israel security forces kill terrorist who kidnapped Noa Argamani on Oct. 7 in weekend strikes
Later in the day, the IDF and Shin Bet announced that they killed Muhammad Hamad Muhammad Gabain, a commander in Hamas' military wing, who was involved in holding nine hostages abducted on October 7.
By Miriam Sela-Eitam, Jerusalem Post, September 27, 2026
Footage of Noa Argamani's abduction to Gaza, October 7, 2023. (photo credit: screenshot)
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), together with Lahav 433's Gideonim Unit 33, killed a terrorist involved in the kidnapping of Noa Argamani on October 7 over the weekend, the military and Shin Bet announced in a joint statement on Sunday.
Saher Nidal Latfi Sakr was documented abducting Argamani and Avinatan Or from the Nova music festival to Gaza on the back of a motorcycle during the massacre.
Sakr is affiliated with global jihadist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip, the IDF said.
The military added that he had supplied Hamas with weapons throughout the war, as well as advancing attacks against troops and Israeli civilians.
Argamani was rescued from Gaza on June 8, 2024, in Operation Arnon. She was rescued alongside Andrey Kozlov, Almog Meir Jan, and Shlomi Ziv. Or was released in October 2025 under US President Donald Trump's Gaza deal.
FORMER HOSTAGE Noa Argamani attends an emergency conference on the medical condition of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, in 2024. (credit: FLASH90)
Later on Sunday, the IDF and Shin Bet announced that they killed Muhammad Hamad Muhammad Gabain, a commander in Hamas' military wing, who was involved in holding nine hostages abducted on October 7.
He was involved in holding Ziv Berman, Gali Berman, Eitan Mor, Liri Albag, Agam Berger, Matan Angrest, Omri Miran, Keith Siegel and Alon Ohel.
Gabain was killed in strikes on Tuesday in the northern Gaza Strip.
IDF kills terrorist who kidnapped Noa Argamani, Avinatan Or
In July, Israeli security forces killed two terrorists linked to the abduction and captivity of Israeli hostages in air strikes, including Ahmed Hussein Mohammed Kafina, a commander in the Mujahideen Brigades.
Kafina was among the terrorists who invaded Israel during the October 7 Massacre, leading a group of terrorists under his command.
He participated in the kidnapping of Avinatan Or and Noa Argamani and directed others involved in the kidnapping of Sudthisak Rinthalak, according to the IDF at the time.
Shir Perets and Maya Zangar-Shamir contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump confirmed Saturday that he rejected Iran's proposal for a broader agreement that would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had proposed reopening the strategic waterway as part of a seven-day process that would also include an end to hostilities on multiple fronts, the lifting of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, the release of frozen Iranian funds and sanctions relief. Iranian officials have separately said Tehran is not prepared to make concessions on its nuclear program. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has told aides he expects U.S. strikes against Iran could resume following the November midterm elections, although the situation remains subject to change. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran no longer trusts U.S.-led negotiations, while U.S. officials said talks through mediators remain constructive.
HOUTHI ATTACKS ON SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi-led coalition forces said they intercepted two Houthi drones launched toward Riyadh and two ballistic missiles fired toward Khamis Mushait early Saturday. Civil-defense warnings were issued in parts of southwestern Saudi Arabia as authorities monitored additional threats. The attacks come amid a sharp escalation between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with Houthi attacks increasingly targeting Saudi cities, infrastructure and shipping.
SAUDI ARABIA, TURKEY AND PAKISTAN
The military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met in Riyadh amid the Houthi escalation and discussed implementing their recently signed joint-defense agreement. Under the pact, the three countries have said an armed attack against one would be regarded as an attack against all. Separately, The Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence assessments indicate Saudi Arabia has not ruled out eventually developing a nuclear weapons program. Riyadh maintains that its nuclear plans are peaceful, while the U.S. State Department says Washington will not support a Saudi nuclear weapons program.
LEBANON
The IDF said it struck a Hezbollah weapons-storage facility in the Sejoud area of southern Lebanon on Saturday, saying weapons stored there posed a threat to Israeli forces operating in the security zone. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, meanwhile, told the UN General Assembly that restoring Lebanese territory currently held by Israel was an "existential challenge" and called for an Israeli withdrawal. Salam also criticized Iran's attacks against Gulf states and Jordan and expressed solidarity with those countries.
GAZA
The IDF announced Saturday that two Hamas operatives were killed in separate strikes carried out Friday. The military identified Ibrahim Fawzi Ismail Mohsen as a member of Hamas's Nukhba Force who was killed in Nuseirat. A separate strike in Khan Younis killed Mohammed Kamel Suleiman Mohsen. According to the IDF, both had recently been involved in rebuilding Hamas infrastructure and advancing attacks against Israeli forces. The developments came after the IDF announced Friday that it had recently destroyed a roughly two-kilometer Hamas tunnel in an Israeli-controlled section of Gaza as part of operations against remaining Hamas infrastructure.
NEW REPORTS ON WARNINGS BEFORE OCTOBER 7
Two major reports concerning intelligence warnings before the October 7 massacre emerged over the weekend. The Atlantic reported that then-Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel flew to Israel on September 26, 2023, and warned senior Israeli officials that the situation in Gaza could erupt and that Hamas was preparing for a major confrontation. The report says Kamel did not provide precise information about when or how an attack would occur. Former national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi denied that the reported visit and warning occurred. Separately, The New York Times reported that at an Israeli security meeting six days before October 7, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized maintaining calm in Gaza in order not to jeopardize potential normalization with Saudi Arabia. The report said Netanyahu did not mention an alleged warning he had received from UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed regarding Hamas. Netanyahu has denied receiving such a warning.
QATAR / GAZA DIPLOMACY
Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani accused Netanyahu and his government of being the primary obstacle to advancing the U.S.-backed Gaza peace plan. Qatar has also continued mediating between Washington and Tehran regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Channel 12 separately reported that Netanyahu adviser Michael Eisenberg met senior Qatari official Ali al-Thawadi in New York the day before Netanyahu strongly criticized Qatar during his UN speech. According to the report, the two discussed implementing the U.S.-backed Gaza plan and humanitarian aid entering the Strip.
ISRAEL-MAURITIUS FLIGHT CANCELED
An Israeli tourism company said a planned flight from Tel Aviv to Mauritius was canceled after Mauritian authorities refused permission for the flight to land. The company said it was informed that "political-diplomatic" considerations were behind the decision.
ISRAEL-IRELAND SOCCER MATCH
Ireland confirmed that its Nations League match against Israel will go ahead after players held an internal vote on whether to play. The Football Association of Ireland said a "significant majority" voted in favor of fulfilling the fixture after one player indicated they planned to withdraw.
BELGIUM / IRAN
Belgian threat-assessment officials reportedly linked Iran to attacks earlier this year targeting Jewish or Israeli-related locations in Liège and Antwerp. The report said Belgian authorities believe the perpetrators acted on instructions connected to Tehran.
ISRAELI NAVY
Israel is reportedly examining the possible acquisition of Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft as the Navy looks to strengthen anti-submarine and long-range maritime capabilities.
Nine Israeli innovations that helped shape the world, from Waze to the Iron Dome
Zionism challenged Jews to take the initiative, and almost eight decades later, Israeli innovations are improving the world and enriching lives everywhere.
Jews have been victimized more than any other people in history, yet have remained optimistic, idealistic, and dedicated to helping build a better world. The Jews’ contribution to the world is staggering – and up to 1948, all without political power, a country, or a shared language of everyday speech.
When the State of Israel was founded, it was a barren country with no natural resources, little water, and more than half of its landmass desert.
The only advantage the new country had going for it was the strength of will and natural creativity of its people.
Zionism challenged Jews to take the initiative, and almost eight decades later, Israeli innovations are improving the world and enriching lives everywhere. Here are nine of them:
1. Solar water heater
In the early 1950’s, Dr. Zvi (Harry) Tabor, an Israeli physicist from England, convinced that solar energy was the surest and cleanest solution to the fact that Israel has no oil of its own, invented the Tabor Selective Surface – thermal panels that could store the heat of the sun even when it didn’t shine.
1. SOLAR WATER heaters on a Tel Aviv rooftop. (credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)
Eventually, he integrated this technology with a water boiler to create the modern solar water heater, which earned Tabor the Weizmann Prize for Exact Sciences in 1956.
Today, 95% of Israeli households have solar-heated water tanks based on the Tabor Selective Surface. With over 1.4 million units installed, Israel maintains the highest per capita use of solar-powered water heaters in the world.
Approximately 122 million solar hot water systems were in operation globally at the end of 2022.
Besides simple residential units, these systems included solar power plants in remote locations not hooked up to the grid and even the solar panels built in California’s Mojave Desert, the largest solar power installation in the world – all based on Tabor’s work.
Dr. Zvi Tabor was awarded the Israeli President’s Medal of Distinction in 2014 for “being a symbol of Israeli innovation and for inspiring generations of scientists and entrepreneurs in the field of solar energy.”
2. Drip irrigation
In the early 1960s, Simcha Blass, the chief engineer and one of the founders of the Mekorot water company (established in 1937 and now Israel’s national water carrier), developed and patented the drip irrigation concept.
Friction and pressure loss allow water to drip slowly at regular intervals to the roots of plants, providing a sustainable solution to the challenges of water scarcity and climate uncertainty.
Increased water-use efficiency (up to 50% savings) and crop yield (up 30-50%), together with decreased fertilizer loss and soil erosion, have been instrumental in transforming barren deserts in the Middle East, North Africa, India, and parts of Australia into productive agricultural lands.
Netafim, the company that Blass established over 60 years ago, now operates in 110 countries and contributes to food security and economic growth for farmers across more than 15 million hectares worldwide.
3. Semiconductor memory
In 1971, Dov Frohman, the Israel Prize-winning founder and first general manager of Intel Israel, invented the first non-volatile semiconductor memory that was both erasable and reprogrammable.
Intel founder Gordon Moore declared this innovation “as important in the development of the microcomputer industry as the microprocessor itself.”
From its crucial role in developing the foundations of personal computing, this technology revolutionized data storage, paving the way to flash memory technology (invented by Dov Moran and perfected by Dr. Eli Hariri, the co-founder of San Disk – both Israelis), which led to the commercially feasible development of digital photography, MP3 players, USB drives, smartphones, tablets, laptops, e-books, apps, and portable game controls.
4. Cardioverter defibrillator
On Feb. 4, 1980, the first cardioverter-defibrillator, invented and developed by Michel Mirowski, a Polish-born Israeli-American physician, was implanted in a patient at John Hopkins Hospital, despite much skepticism and the lack of financial backing.
An Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) is a small, battery-powered device placed under the skin in the upper chest to monitor and help regulate life-threatening electrical problems with the heart 24/7.
If it detects dangerously fast rhythms (tachycardia or fibrillation), it delivers an electric shock to restore a normal rhythm, preventing sudden cardiac arrest, and often also serving as a pacemaker.
It also delivers “overdrive pacing” for less severe fast rhythms, or a shock (defibrillation) for life-threatening, chaotic rhythms, often restarting a heart that stops beating during cardiac arrest.
Since then, the device – which Mirowski further improved and miniaturized (they now weigh 80-90 grams, have a volume of 30 milliliters, and measure less than a centimeter in thickness) – has been installed in over 4 million people worldwide.
5. PillCam
After working on the idea for almost 20 years and successfully creating a prototype in 1998, Gavriel Iddan, an Israeli electro-optical engineer, received FDA approval on Aug. 3, 2001, for a disposable pill-sized camera that passes straight through the digestive tract, continuously broadcasting to an external receiver.
The resulting product, PillCam, was developed to non-invasively visualize the small bowel and gastrointestinal tract.
It takes 2-6 pictures per second for roughly 8 hours, helping doctors diagnose Crohn’s disease, obscure bleeding, and tumors by transmitting images to a wearable recorder.
Not only does it allow for imaging of areas difficult to reach via traditional endoscopy, but it is also considerably cheaper (around $500 per pill, while a colonoscopy costs an average of $4,000).
Since the technology was first approved in 2001, more than 4 million PillCam capsules have been used in patient procedures in over 80 countries, and nearly 1,000 scientific articles have been published about its clinical use.
6. Waze
Waze, a company founded by Israeli entrepreneurs Ehud Shabtai, Amir Shinar, and Uri Levine in 2008, developed a geographical navigation application that provides turn-by-turn information, user-submitted travel times, and route details, downloading location-dependent information over a cellular telephone network.
The platform relies entirely on users to provide real-time data on traffic, accidents, and police, allowing the service to prioritize the quickest route. It truly earned its tagline: “Outsmarting Traffic, Together.”
In June 2013, Google acquired Waze for a reported $1.3 billion, while maintaining its primary research and development hub in Israel. Waze’s 100 employees each received about $1.2 million on average, the largest payout to employees in Israeli high tech.
Since then, Waze has grown to approximately 151 million active monthly users worldwide as of early 2026, operating in over 180 countries, with significant user bases in the US, Turkey, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brazil.
7. Watergen
Watergen, a pioneering Israeli technology company and market leader in Atmospheric Water Generation, offers low-cost methods of extracting clean and safe drinking water from humidity in the air.
Founded in 2009 by entrepreneur and former military commander Arye Kohavi and a team of engineers, the initial goal was to provide freely accessible water to troops around the world.
Following its acquisition by billionaire Michael Mirilashvili in 2016, the company turned its attention to addressing worldwide water scarcity and responding to the needs of people in the aftermath of natural disasters.
According to a World Health Organization study, one-third of the world’s population (~2.8 billion people) lacks access to safe drinking water. In much of the Third World, contaminated water is the leading cause of death in children.
By producing clean, energy-efficient water at the point of use, Watergen eliminates the need for transportation, storage, and reliance on aging infrastructure and plastic bottles – reducing costs, pollution, and environmental impact.
Watergen operates in more than 90 countries, with installations for communities, enterprises, homes, industrial sites, and emergency response, producing thousands of liters of top-quality pure drinking water per day, while shaping the future of decentralized, sustainable water supplies for the world.
8. Iron Dome mobile missile defense system
On April 7, 2011, the Iron Dome mobile missile defense system successfully intercepted its first projectile: a rocket fired from Gaza toward Israel.
The decision to build a missile defense system was made by defense minister Amir Peretz in 2007, following a year in which Hezbollah fired thousands of missiles into northern Israel during the Second Lebanon War, and Hamas fired rockets indiscriminately at Israel’s southern communities.
Iron Dome batteries are seen stationed near the southern Israeli city of Sderot, August 6, 2022 (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
The Iron Dome system was developed by two Israeli firms – Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries – with significant funding from the United States, to counter threats from up to 70 kilometers away (missiles, mortars, and drones).
The system is purely defensive, designed to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property. In the 15 years after its debut, it has intercepted more than 5,000 enemy rockets, with a success rate of over 90%, in the process changing the strategic balance between Israel and its enemies.
9. Mobileye
In 1999, Prof. Amnon Shashua evolved his academic research into a vision system that could detect vehicles by adding “intelligence” to inexpensive cameras for commercialization.
The resulting company, Mobileye, founded in Jerusalem, developed into a supplier of self-driving technologies and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), providing warnings for collision prevention and mitigation.
Mobileye went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014, raised $890 million, and became the largest Israeli IPO in US history. By the end of that year, Mobileye’s technology had been implemented in dozens of vehicle models from major automakers, including GM, Ford, VW, and Nissan.
In March 2017, Intel acquired Mobileye for $15.3 billion – the biggest-ever acquisition of an Israeli tech company at the time – and went public again in 2022. By 2024, Mobileye reached over 70% market share in camera-based ADAS, with its technology used in approximately 200 million vehicles worldwide.■
